"Your mental health directly connects to your success on campus," said Zack Dodge, President of the Fanshawe Student Union, speaking about the importance of the first-ever Mental Health Awareness Week on campus. "Social pressures can take away from your academic and social experience" and spill over into other areas of your life, he said, and it's important to take care of mental health issues before they take over.

October 1 to 5 is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the theme of the week is common mental health problems that college students face, such as anxiety, depression, bullying, homesickness and addiction.

A major focus of the week is interactive activities on campus. Forwell Hall will be home to an interactive conversation wall during the week. It will allow students to share their advice and experiences through an open conversation. Students are invited to write any concerns, comments, or guidance relating to mental health on banner paper in Forwell. Some students may choose to submit their stories anonymously, and in this case, the FSU will tweet a picture of the anonymous submission and include links to websites that students may find helpful.

The FSU and execs will also use the hashtag #HowToDeal on Twitter to communicate with students about mental health. The FSU execs will post tips, testimonials and resources to try to promote discussion about these issues.

Fanshawe's Counselling and Accessibility Services will have an outreach table set up in F hallway outside of the bookstore from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 1, 2 and 3. They'll be passing out brochures, highlighting services and resources available on campus and in the community.

The Canadian Mental Health Association will set up a booth in the Student Centre on October 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They'll have resources and giveaways for students, as well as staff on site to field questions and concerns.

The FSU execs will also hand out over 1,000 green mental health bracelets on campus all week.

Check out the Fanshawe Student Union's social media pages: on Twitter @FanshaweSU and on Facebook at facebook.com/fanshawesu.